As the temple gates opened, it was like the grand curtain on a stage was slowly drawn apart.

The long-awaited play finally began, the characters stepped into the spotlight, and the show commenced!

It was not only Shekri.

At the moment Shekri thrust the first knife, a second knife pierced the neck of Duke Wuyou from behind. Following it was the third, then the fourth...

One by one, the allies who had gathered unexpectedly around them boldly stabbed with their weapons.

There was only a momentary daze.

But... why did this daze come so suddenly?

In the moment of realization, Duke Wuyou looked up at the elderly monk chanting with lowered eyes outside the crowd.

Unable to hold back, he laughed in rage.

"Those with wolfish ambitions indeed are not trustworthy!"

"Did Duke Wuyou not intend to betray the alliance from the start? Why act so falsely?" Shekri sighed lightly: "The heart of a ruler is difficult to fathom, Duke Wuyou is truly no wise leader, we, mere expendables, also wish to survive."

"Ha!"

Duke Wuyou grinned, coughed up blood while choking, and stared fiercely at those faces before him: "I wonder how you will enter the temple without me..."

No one answered.

Only, a soft sigh.

Beside Duke Wuyou, the sole surviving subordinate suddenly began to convulse violently.

In the midst of standing motionless, clear marks of unsealing appeared on his face, fingers, and joints, revealing wooden patterns from beneath the skin. Eventually, as the hollow eyes lifted, a gleam that even the Heavenly Artisan could not replicate emerged.

He grinned towards Duke Wuyou.

"Old scoundrel Wuyou, long time no see?"

"Changle, you brat, how dare you!"

Struck as if by lightning, Duke Wuyou was furious, incredulous yet seemingly enlightened.

No wonder these villains dared to openly violate the contract without invoking the tower's ultimate punishment...

Because there was a sufferer from the tower's shadow, working behind the scenes to relieve their worries.

Methods far beyond Duke Wuyou's skill had completely removed the contract's bindings. With no more shackles, this scene finally unfolded before him.

Mockingly grinning, he was gleeful.

"Sorry, Duke Wuyou, heavenly treasures are for those who are virtuous. The Heirloom Seal is not something a guardian of the dead like you can touch."

Lord Changle smiled, glancing at the sky: "Moreover, it seems that Saint no longer needs you."

"Seeder..."

Duke Wuyou gnashed his teeth, roaring in furious outrage.

Even now, how could Wuyou not understand who was stirring behind the scenes...

After charging such a massive fee, secretly colluding with Changle, ruining the great plan, Great Evil indeed cannot be fully trusted!

At this moment, with the curtain of betrayal lifted, the subordinates originally loyal to Duke Wuyou were immediately slaughtered. Those quick-witted ones trying to jump ship were also mercilessly beheaded.

"Traitors and turncoats, what use is there in keeping them?"

Changle's Puppet stood atop the pool of blood, looking down with contempt: "Worry not, Duke Wuyou, I'll send them ahead to clear a path for you to the Netherworld, the journey will surely be smooth, no need to be concerned with worldly conflicts."

"Those raised as squalid slaves cannot amount to anything, seizing royal titles, usurping legitimacy... still mouthing about some Netherworld. The Empire's glory is eternal; where is this thing?"

Duke Wuyou scoffed disdainfully, closing his eyes.

His body, suddenly expanded.

Explosion!

Changle looked down expressionlessly, a fierce gleam appeared in his eyes for an instant, then suddenly retracted as the erupted darkness dispersed without a trace.

"Tsk..."

Cunning indeed, he actually abandoned this body and escaped.

The usurper's tricks are endless, involving too much, making extermination very difficult.

It was unexpected, under the erosion of rotten scales, he could still retain a sliver of life... No, perhaps he never trusted the supposed aid from the start?

Under the torn black robe, a hair-raising dagger fell from within.

Something Duke Wuyou secretly held in his hand.

At this moment, Shekri's expression was gloomy, after a glance, his eyes twitched wildly...

Luckily, he stabbed early, otherwise, who this dagger was meant to clean up, would really be hard to say!

After the brief change, the situation suddenly shifted.

Everyone looked towards the Puppet inhabited by Changle, their expressions visibly respectful.

The master pressed his palms together, lowered his head, and asked: "Duke Wuyou, despite his elaborate schemes and self-perceived cleverness, did not understand destiny, bringing about his own demise. Now the Great Integration belongs to Lord Changle, but what plans are there next?"

"Rest assured, everyone, I am not like that tyrannical and incompetent Wuyou, certainly not one to annihilate completely. Since everyone adheres to the Saint's command, you are naturally trustworthy."

Changle's Puppet smiled slightly: "With that fool Wuyou paving the way as king, another path has opened perfectly. Thank you for waiting patiently, now you may enter."

As he spoke, he waved his hand and flicked his fingers.

In the blink of an eye, a beam of light appeared from the storm within the Crack Realm, marking a path.

As his words fell, outside the rift, flashes of light emerged, scrambling to enter.

The first to arrive was a misty illusion emitting a breath and whisper that made faces flush and ears warm. It gathered, forming a figure, seemingly male and female yet hard to define, chuckling with myriad charms: "Thank you, Lord Changle, for waiting."

And within the winding blood, a bizarre figure emerged, like a skeleton clad in armor, fierce and wild. Then, out of thin air, whirlwinds intertwined, several gaunt figures stepped forth and nodded respectfully.

Beside Shekri, another strange figure appeared, hovering between existence and nonexistence, silent.

Within the Heavenly Heart Society, Blood Eye, Xiu Feng, Wolf Nest, and many other organizations, infamous sufferers had long been waiting.

But it did not end...

Changle turned back in shock.

Only to hear a horn blast that shook the heavens, resounding throughout the universe.

Then, one after another, pitch-black ships of a hundred feet broke through the barriers of the Crack Realm, charging forward unstoppably.

Under the protection of grand and eerie banners, ignoring numerous crises and hidden dangers, advancing relentlessly, hanging high above the firmament.

The black sails of sixteen giant ships rose, seemingly covering the sky, sealing the heavens.

The cannons aimed from afar, locking onto their position.

Causing everyone's face to change drastically.

Then, among the various black sails, clouds shifted, weaving into a vague and ancient face, looking down with drooping eyes.

Like Changle, incarnate through countless battleships!

At this moment, a hoarse voice from the face questioned:

"Changle, it's one thing for you to vainly claim titles, yet as the nation's body weakens, I have no time to deal with it. But to plot for the Heirloom Seal, do you intend to seize the national power?"

An Guo, that old dog!

Changle's Puppet showed no expression, but the darkness and fury in his eyes were uncontrollable, glinting with cold light.

In an instant, he suddenly turned back, looking at Shekri standing in the distance as if it were none of his concern.

Shekri remained standing with hands tied, showing no reaction.

Sensing his gaze, the decayed face under the bandages seemed to smile faintly.

"Lord Changle misunderstood." He said regretfully, "The matter of the Heirloom Seal is of great importance, and according to the Holy Master's intent, it's naturally best to leave nothing to chance."

That's right, the more people, the better.

To revive the Empire, how could the Empire's three ministers not reunite, letting the inheritors of the Empire decide the outcome?

The loser eats dust, the winner takes all, then naturally the rightful power will be held.

At this moment, An Guo's cold voice came from the myriad warships, "Changle, the Heirloom Seal is of great importance, you wouldn't plan to monopolize it like that fool Wuyou, would you?"

"Lord An Guo overestimated."

Changle smiled sincerely, "For the grand plan of restoring the nation, naturally more plans and methods are needed. Now, having cleared the obstacles, we indeed lack steadings like Lord An Guo to host the overall situation."

In less than a few short minutes, storms surged within the Crack Realm, banners shifted, you sang, I take the stage, the main characters changed dizzyingly.

While Changle and An Guo were tentatively confronting each other, someone was grinding their teeth to bits!

At the edge of the city outside the temple, a mutilated corpse convulsed suddenly in the shadows, and then immediately, the skin color and face changed.

Opened the eyes again.

Lord Wuyou looked up at the spectacle in the sky, his eyes bloodshot.

Tried every means, calculated everything, yet never expected, the opponent he guarded against day and night actually followed right behind him.

Exhausting efforts, sacrificing much, only to sew the robes for others.

Fortunately, he came prepared, still holding many significant treasures in hand, not a complete failure.

As for the current changes...

His expression became increasingly sinister.

Changle, the brat, An Guo, the old dog!

A mixed breed raised by a lowly maid, an old dog lying in wait, both detestable and loathsome!

So clever, yet still obediently paving my path? The Wuyou sect's accumulation and planning over hundreds of years couldn't be so simple? With the Jade Decree Treasure still in my hand, I'll see how you open the sealed box...

Now let the two dogs fight, just creating an opportunity for me to gain the fisherman's advantage,

only...

Withdrawing from the chaos at this moment, watching the titans clash from the mountain, he finally had some leisure, watching coldly when suddenly his steps faltered, nearly stumbling.

When he looked back in astonishment, he saw the crevices exposed on the floor after the earthquake and collapse, and the metallic shine unearthed from beneath the soil.

A hue that flowed like brass.

So exquisite.

Yet so out of place with the style of the Eternal Empire era.

He stood frozen, subconsciously bending down, only seeing the traces of digging and soil disturbance on the ground, bewildered and baffled.

Is this... something originally from the Crack Realm?

What on earth is this?

Cold sweat inexplicably seeped from Wuyou's forehead.

When he stretched out his hand to touch the metal exposed on the ground, what he felt was like an ancient tree's roots entangled underground, encompassing the entire temple and the Crack Realm, forming a vast network...

He turned back in horror.

In the distance, amidst the never-extinguished flames and thick smoke, a familiar humming rang out once more.

Amidst the billowing smoke and the city, eerie mechanized constructs, growing long, sharp legs like spiders, skillfully roamed throughout the ruins.

Excavating, reflecting, determining positions.

The limbs dug into the earth, burying themselves under the stone slabs, disappearing without a trace, like corpses laid to rest in a grave.

One by one, machine after machine.

Attached and supported on the entire temple's system, like ivy and mistletoe, each spiritual circuit sprawled freely.

Taking root this way, merging with the entire Crack Realm into one.

Growing silently.

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